How to choose a removal company: the honest guide

First: do you need one at all?

A van and two strong friends is genuinely the right answer for a one-bed flat's worth of belongings moving a short distance — £80–£150 of van hire against £400+ for the cheapest professional crew. The honest tipping points: a piano or anything you can't lift, a house rather than a flat, a long-distance move, stairs at both ends, or any move where your time and back are worth more than the difference.

What moves the price

• Volume — the main driver; a 1-bed local move might be £300–£500, a 4-bed £1,000–£1,800+
• Distance — local moves are priced by the job; long-distance by mileage and crew time
• Access — stairs, no parking, long carries from door to van: all add crew time and cost. Mention them up front or face a revised bill on the day
• Packing service — full packing typically adds £200–£500 but compresses days of work into hours, and crucially shifts breakage liability to them for what they packed
• The date — Fridays, month-ends and school holidays are peak. A mid-week, mid-month move can be 20–30% cheaper

Getting quotes properly

1. Get three quotes, and insist on a proper survey — in person or by video call. A firm quoting a 3-bed house sight-unseen is guessing, and the guess gets corrected on moving day
2. Check membership of the British Association of Removers (BAR) or a similar trade body — it brings vetting, a complaints process, and an advance-payment guarantee scheme
3. Ask what insurance is included: goods-in-transit cover (check the per-item and total limits against your actual belongings) and public liability. Valuables and self-packed boxes are often excluded or limited — read that clause
4. Compare like with like: crew size, van size, packing materials included or extra, and whether dismantling/reassembly of furniture is in the price

The completion-date problem

If you're buying, your date isn't legally certain until exchange — but good firms are booked 2–4 weeks ahead, especially for Fridays. The standard play: get quotes and pencil in a provisional date as soon as a completion date is being discussed, then confirm the moment you exchange. Ask about the firm's postponement policy up front — the better ones move a booking free with reasonable notice, precisely because they understand chains.

Red flags

• Cash only, no written quote, or a quote wildly below the other two
• No survey offered for a whole-house move
• Large deposit demanded months ahead with no trade-body protection
• Vague or absent insurance answers
• Reviews that mention items held “hostage” for surprise extra charges — the industry's ugliest trick